


Do you want a drink?

by sugarandspace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alec Doesn't Like to Drink, Developing Relationship, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Supportive Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 03:31:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19054372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: There are several reasons why Alec isn't a fan of drinking, but while having drinks with Magnus he learns that he doesn't need to explain himself.





	Do you want a drink?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't drink, and I wanted to read a thing about how instead of learning to like alcohol Alec hears that it's just as okay not to like it.

“Do you want a drink?”

It’s a simple question but it throws Alec off guard. He’s never been a drinker, has always associated it with going out and having fun, something his siblings did and he never saw the point of. He didn’t have the same need in him, the need to meet new people and let loose.

That’s another thing Alec has felt wary of - letting loose, giving away even the tiniest bit of the tight control he has of himself. To lower down his guard in a club filled with people - were they from their world or the mundane world - was something that the part of him that was raised a soldier was strongly against.

He had to stay alert, had to keep an eye on his siblings to make sure they didn’t get in trouble, or that they didn’t get hurt. Alec was responsible of them, and had to keep them safe.

If asked, those would be the two reasons Alec would give for why he didn’t drink. He didn’t understand the point of it and he wanted to stay alert in case of danger. But there was a third reason, one that weighted just as heavily as the other two.

Alec was scared.

Scared of what he’d do, of what he’d say if he were to get drunk and let go of his control.

Izzy was a flirty drunk, Jace the type that could be dared to do pretty much anything - no matter how stupid or dangerous. Alec had accompanied them to clubs more than once and he’d seen all kinds of drunks. Happy drunks, sad drunks, drunks that were being painfully honest and ones that got angry. More than once he had wondered what kind of drunk he would be.

_Drunk words are sober thoughts._

And Alec was terrified of what he’d say. Would he spill the secret he’d spent years harboring? Raziel, would he try to act on it?

Even the idea of it was enough to prevent Alec from drinking.

“Alexander?”

Alec hears Magnus’ voice speaking his name softly, the expression on his face curious and a bit worried. He’s brought back to the moment, to Magnus’ loft where they had just arrived after their late night stroll through the city.

“I’ll have whatever you’re drinking,” Alec replies with a small smile.

Because he finally feels like he can let go of that control.   

There’s nothing to be afraid of in here, in Magnus’ loft and in his company. It’s just the two of them, the risk of danger is almost non-existent, and Alec knows that Magnus doesn’t need looking after.

Most importantly, Alec doesn’t have that familiar weight of a secret hanging over him anymore.

He has no idea how much he'd need to drink to actually get drunk, but he's fairly sure he doesn't need to worry about that tonight. He'll have a drink with the guy he likes, like normal people would in his situation.  

Magnus turns to where he keeps an assortment of alcohol and pours them identical glasses of drinks. Alec doesn’t know what it is, but he doesn’t ask either.

“Thank you,” he says as he accepts the glass, lifting it to his lips to take a sip and find out what it tastes like.

Just the smell of it is strong, but even that couldn’t prepare Alec for the taste of it. He can’t fight the grimace from rising to his face when the liquid touches his tongue, the taste reminding him more of some sort of a chemical than something one would drink because they enjoy the taste. Alec swallows it down and it feels only fitting that it burns on the way down.

Magnus chuckles warmly, looking at Alec over the rim of his own glass as he sips the drink. His expression doesn’t change one bit, and Alec doesn’t understand.

“Not much of a drinker?” Magnus asks as Alec eyes the glass like it has personally offended him.

“What gave me away?” Alec asks, managing to smile despite the blush rising to his cheeks.

“A lucky guess,” Magnus answers teasingly.

“I just -” Alec starts, wondering how to word his question so it doesn’t sound rude. “You actually like this?”

He hears the words leave his mouth and he’s not sure how he imagined that not sounding rude. But Magnus laughs, and Alec’s worries are lifted.

“I do,” Magnus agrees. “But I admit that it’s an acquired taste. As a lot of alcoholic drinks are.”

“So I have to suffer through several glasses before I learn to like this?” Alec asks.

“Basically, yes,” Magnus says. “If you want to learn to like it, that is. But nowhere does it say that a person must like alcoholic drinks. There are plenty of other things to drink, drinks that taste good from the first glass onward.”

Alec considers Magnus’ words, his eyes drifting to his glass and his thoughts to how he really doesn’t want to drink the rest of it.

“It’s not stupid?” Alec asks, looking at Magnus again. Because there’s still a part of him that feels like this is something a person his age should enjoy, that this is just another thing proving to Magnus how inexperienced Alec is.  

“Absolutely not,” Magnus says, his words so sure they leave no room for doubt. “It’s just like anything else. Some people don’t like coffee because of the effect it has on them, some dislike the taste of tea - if you don’t like alcohol you can just say so and drink something else. Nothing wrong with that. It’s not something you have to learn to like just because a lot of people do.”

“In that case, can I have something else?” Alec asks, offering his glass back to Magnus. “I feel like this is not my thing.”

Maybe someday in the future Alec will want to give it another try, will want to feel the relaxing effect of a couple glasses of wine. But right now it doesn’t seem worth the trouble.

Magnus doesn’t take the glass, instead he smiles and waves his hand and suddenly the glass Alec is holding is filled with a different liquid. It’s red and smells sweet, but when Alec tips the glass to have a sip, the taste is not as sweet as he was expecting it to be. It’s sharper, with a flavor Alec doesn’t recognize. But unlike his previous drink, Alec finds himself enjoying this one.

All this time Alec has felt the need to explain to his siblings why he doesn’t want to drink, when all along he could have used one reason, which while covering the other three, would have also been an acceptable reason on its own.

He doesn’t want to.

And it doesn’t need more explaining.

**Author's Note:**

> [You can find me from tumblr too!](https://www.sugarandspace.tumblr.com)
> 
> EDIT: If you relate to this fic and feel alone, take a look at the lovely comments underneath this fic 💙


End file.
